Why I Live on the European Continent as an American

In 2012, during the second semester of my freshman year of college majoring in philosophy, I decided on a pure whim to study abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark to learn more about Kierkegaard. This was my first time ever traveling to the continent of Europe as an American national, and also as a female solo traveller too, and it would certainly not be my last.

I eagerly bought my round trip ticket from Indiana to Copenhagen for just over $1000. On the way there in May 2012, there were various layovers, most notably one in Heathrow Airport in London, where I happened to miss my connection but the flight attendants booked me on the next flight and I made it safely to Copenhagen. One very vivid memory was getting on that flight and watching the neatly lined red brick rooftops of houses from the plane as it ascended, thinking it looks like a pleasant, cosy place where people must have nice, peaceful lives.

A birds-eye aerial view I managed to grab on my camera:

That summer, I was traveling alone back to Copenhagen by train after visiting my childhood friend in Belgium. I knew passable French, Spanish, and German from my studies of languages in high school, and had to ask an elderly couple where the train station was in French. They answered so cordially back to me, ‘Tout droit!’ obviously concerned for my well-being, that I realised Europe was actually a very hospitable place to consider living in the future.

I made my way onto the train, then woke up in Germany near Hamburg, with the train passing by some greenery, where I had a déja vu moment or intuition, some kind of inner pleasant feeling in my gut that I (or my fullest sense of self) had been here before, even though this was the first time actually being physically present in Germany in the current lifetime. I felt like it was a completely familiar place, and so I spoke in a full sentence in German to the train attendant before displaying my ticket to her. The train ended up transferring all the passengers onto a ferry, across the Bay of Kiel, and then I arrived safely back in Denmark.

Little did I know that in 2022, exactly ten years later, I would actually visit the little island again with red roofs, with copies of all the diplomas from my 4 post-secondary degrees. Being situated on the European continent has been invaluable to my career and research as a Continental philosopher and psychoanalytic therapist, continuing my post-doctoral research at a certain university with my Jean Baruzi translation and ongoing involvement at other organisations. I did visit Europe again during my PhD in 2016–2017, visiting friends in countries like Switzerland and Germany during conferences, but I didn’t know I’d ever return for more than a few weeks.

My life took a sharp, unexpected turn in late 2023 December, as well as June 2024, when I caught long Covid two successive times in a row. This was my third time overall, since I had had it back in January of 2022.

I had been in good physical health my whole life, but my medical condition at the time was deemed as being so serious that although I intended to fly back to the US to obtain a certain type of visa, I was allowed to stay in the UK in England, and granted a 2.5-year Article 8 human rights ‘family and right to private life’ visa without having to travel 15 hours back to the US. I am indebted to my extended family in the United Kingdom, who have helped to provide a safe and stable environment where I gradually regained my health.

Drinking ginseng, ginger, and matcha tea every day, I’ve made a full recovery a year later, and now I have finalised my portfolio to renew my visa under the Global Talent Visa - Exceptional Talent category for interdisciplinary academics in the fields of philosophy, psychology, theology, and AI research with the British Academy.

As a teenager I had had exposure to books outside of stereotypical media like Harry Potter and the American stereotypical fantasy of London, reading books like Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, and listening to indie bands like the Arctic Monkeys.

I actually find London a bit too “saturated” and intense in energy when I visit, similar to that of New York City or Brooklyn, and I find it much more viable to live in the North West where the energy is more subdued and peaceful. I live near a certain city where the inhabitants actually don’t consider themselves part of England in their political views. It is a liminal space culturally, with discussion of ley lines, mythical creatures, and ancient countryside in old English folklore, and I can create freely as a writer and researcher working from home for two companies in San Francisco despite the 8-hour time difference.

UPDATE, 9th May, 2026

In December of 2025, I actually applied for Indefinite Leave to Remain, for which I had become eligible. 4 months and 11 days later, this was granted. It is a huge relief and weight taken off my shoulders not having to worry about further visa renewals. I took the train into Liverpool city centre from where I live to celebrate with a matcha tea.